This month marks the two-year anniversary of my diagnosis. The months leading up to it had possibly been the toughest of my life, living with severe undiagnosed OCD and not being aware it was even a medical condition - I truly believed I was a psychopath.

I had what can only be described as a full-on breakdown, I knew I couldn’t live like this anymore and not even a full day later I was diagnosed with OCD. The stigma around OCD meant I had no idea my symptoms matched an illness I had heard of all my life. 

If I can give anyone reading this any advice, it would be to not wait to seek help. It makes me so distressed to think back on all of the time I’ve lost from suffering with a condition that is entirely treatable. There is no reason to not seek help if it is safe to do so and available to you, don’t let yourself suffer in silence. Accepting help is the first step towards recovery, please don’t wait for it to get worse to treat it. 

In addition, remember that while there is no ‘cure’, that doesn’t mean things will always be this bad. Recovery isn’t linear but that doesn’t mean your entire life will be continuous periods of good mental health followed by relapse. 

If I could show my 15-year-old self how much better my mental health is now, I know she would be so unbelievably proud of me. Have the strength to believe things will be okay one day.

To the recently diagnosed... OCD is not a life sentence, and you will get through this. 

I believe in you.